1. Field of the Invention
The invention referred to herein as "CONFIGURATION OF A FRUIT JUICE EXTRACTION MACHINE" or fruit juice extraction apparatus is, as is alluded to in the name itself, a machine developed for the production of citrus fruit juices, such as: lemon, orange, tangerine, ponkan, etc., providing greater practical and sanitary conditions, with the advantage of totally eliminating manual contact during the extraction of the juice from the fruit.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The apparatus of the present invention consists of an automatic system where synchronized and concentric elements press the orange (this fruit will be used only as an example), without crushing the peel, by this avoiding the dispersion of acids (from the peel), favoring the retention of totally natural juice.
Particularly in the case of commercial establishments, we know that in these localities orange juice is extracted by use of electrical rotary squeezers that are noisy and non-sanitary; and such squeezers are of low production and generate excessive physical fatigue on the part of the operator, since he has to cut hundreds of oranges in half every day, processing each and every orange half in the squeezer. It is not difficult to notice that this process is non-sanitary, since manual contact is indispensable.
These factors make the instantaneous production of natural juice not viable, since the slow rates of production make for an expensive final product, plus the fact that consumers will tend to opt for processed drinks given the lack of sanitary conditions in the extraction of natural juices. It is also important to observe the existence of manual squeezers, that incorporate all of the previously mentioned negative features, and are totally not viable for production of juice on a commercial scale.
Equipment that crush all of the fruit in the extraction of juice have an elementary disadvantage that is the dispersion of the acids in the peel, leaving the juice with a bitter taste, not fit for consumption.
It is worth noting that to resolve these problems, several types of machinery and equipment for the extraction of juice have appeared, incorporating important shortcomings that are important to be analyzed, such as:
currently it is known of a machine for processing citrus fruit, especially oranges, where there is a system which after the insertion of the fruit, it is cut in half, and the halves are separated in two rotating cylinders in which two geared reamers, also rotating and hemispherical in shape, crush the fruit halves extracting the juice. PA1 on the upper part of a tray which holds several fruit which, by force of gravity, fall one by one between two concave and radially cut hemispheres, one of those moves axially being actuated by a rod connected to a type of crankshaft arm.
Nevertheless, this system, because of its characteristics, exposes the extracted juice to the peel, in such a manner that the juice bathes, partially or totally, the peel, provoking an emulsification of the oil contained in the peel, incorporating it in the juice, making it acidic and bitter.
It is worth noting that in laboratory tests, it is observed that the level of peel oil in the juice, with this system, varies from 50 to 500% above the norm tolerable for consumption.
There are also other known equipment that function in distinctly different manners than the one previously cited, encompassing voluminous and heavy mechanical systems that provoke the crushing of the whole fruit.
To have a more complete idea of these machines, they are so heavy that they require the use of hoists or cranes for maneuvering.
The existing mechanical systems consist of actuated arms that compress the fruit between two concentric peelers. Said concentric peelers are built with multiple radial openings that interlink with each other (one cupping the other). Nevertheless, the design of the openings makes it such that the fruit becomes crushed and not cut, resulting in the liberation of peel oil into the juice.
As a result of the large space occupied by the machines, the space for fruit storage becomes very limited, forcing the operator to feed the machine constantly.
Systems taught in FMC Corporation's U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,070,778, 5,170,700, 5,339,729 and, 5,483,870, produce oil in the juice and the vertical cores have a tendency to jam with the fruit.
In analyzing these inconveniences, the applicant, who is active in this segment of the market, has developed the apparatus herein claimed, as a definitive solution to these inconveniences.
The apparatus of the present invention is notably more compact and as a consequence lighter. This is due to the utilization of simplified mechanisms with greater functional efficacy.
These mechanisms make possible the easy cleaning of the equipment and less maintenance, noting also that the noise level is slightly lower.
In its fundamental scope, the apparatus fact presented herein functions in the following manner:
The system does not crush the peel and does shear it in multiple slivers, at the same time it compresses the fruit, a factor that impedes the release of the oil in the peel. It is worth noting that this peel, after the extraction of the juice, falls totally dry into an appropriate reservoir.
Unequivocally, it can be concluded that the cost/benefit relationship of the present invention is greater than that of those known to date, because of its compact nature and high,quality juice produced, similar to a home made juice.
Because of these advantages and others that will easily be noticed by the user, as well as its uniqueness in relation to the state of the technology, the applicant, therefore, submits this machine has the requisites for achieving patent approval.